a report prepared by Impact Lab, a company co-founded and chaired by former National leader Sir Bill English.
“While Impact Lab is a reputable company, it’s even more important for the Minister to at least seek advice from officials and show that some attempt has been made to verify the figures, when that company is synonymous with a former National Party PM Bill English,” Leary said.
Oh and there is this connector to Ol' Double Dipper himself
“Even more so at a time when the Government has authorised payment of $500,000 that would have been used for transitional housing to pay for the controversial Kainga Ora review to: Bill English.
The left seem really triggered by money going to Gumboot Friday. Is it the charity itself? Or Mike King? Or perhaps, it's own failures:
On Tuesday, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission released its new report for 2022, finding there has been no change in access to specialist mental health services in five years, despite the Government's $1.9 billion cash injection in 2019.
Yesterdays story about English makes me so sad (getting funds from the emergency housing fund)when there's people really struggling out there, "cost of living" etc (which doesn't seem to be in the news anymore) & the likes of millionaires like English sponging off the Govt just seems so unfair, he doesn't need to do this, just unempathetic greed pure & simple (& those that troll & use slippery words to justify these policies are just cruel & nasty).
Also I was able to get the First Home Grant & was very thankful for it.
Maybe we could pay Bill English to report independently on the success of the parenting courses.
THE EMAIL EXCHANGE
MID-MARCH
Bill English’s office emails Treasury to inform it of decision to give $4.8m over four years to Peda.
TREASURY EMAILS THE MINISTRY OF PACIFIC ISLAND AFFAIRS
“We don’t know a great deal more about this initiative…presume someone in [Pacific Island Affairs] must know about it?”
MINISTRY REPLIES
“The information we have over here on this is very sketchy. Are you able to send us or point us in the direction of the Cabinet papers so we can proceed?”
TREASURY ANSWERS
“We are even more in the dark on this one – there are no Cabinet papers or anything else…Maybe worth asking your minister’s office.”
MARCH 25
Ministry advice on Peda says it is untested, unproven, does not work well with others and is proposing programmes that would overlap with existing ones.
In last year’s budget, the Nats awarded a $4.8m contract to an unknown organisation called PEDA without tender and against official advice. The people behind PEDA were apparently tied to Bill English via his wife. The full truth still hasn’t come out. Now, the Nats are up to the same trick with Parents Inc.
Paula Bennett’s Ministry of Social Development will pay $2.4 million to Parents Inc for “parenting courses for the caregivers of vulnerable children”. This contract was untendered and previously unknown.
Watch live: Ministers give more detail on new social housing plans
"The social housing waitlist is over 25,000 applicants and too many Kiwi families are living in emergency housing motels or sleeping on relatives' couches while they wait to move into warm, dry, stable housing," Potaka said.
For those who wondered how… and what the Nats were planning? They're building..stables?! Will there be enough money left for fresh hay every day ?…. ( fyi for those lacking in a satirical sense…it maybe is )
You do realise the weirdness of mocking a journalists typo when we have, by one measure at least, "one of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world"?
"If you actually look at the reasons people can be evicted under the current regulatory scheme, I think it's very reasonable. You can evict somebody for not paying rent, or antisocial behaviour.
"I don't know if there are any more reasons that you should be allowed to evict somebody and I think National are actually saying we should trust landlords to act with impunity when it comes to people's livelihoods and their homes."
So you know its just a typo? uhuh. I realise most of you right wing trolls are humourless….why I put…. satirical !
Maybe you should address why Ol' Double Dipper English has any involvement or credo when he was quite involved in the selling off of same.
Sir Bill, whose Government sold off thousands of state houses and promoted the establishment of non-government community housing providers, said the state housing agency had racked up debt but little fiscal discipline or accountability.
"We'll go through a proper process; it may be that some have no value. If you're in a small town in a house that's been a P lab, it might be a wee bit hard to get rid of.
But have you thought about the irony in your criticism of Bill English, given the last government left "one of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world"?
Given that plenty of us criticised the last government for being confusing and moving too slow (while still giving them credit for the good job they did in building some more housing and actually allowing people to get on the waitlist to better see the size of the unmet need problem) I don't see any irony at all.
Bill English was instrumental in kicking people off the housing waiting lists and National are making it harder to get on already.
They did the same thing last time with health as well.
You really don’t need to make it harder for us, Minister, with your new verification processes and eligibility checks. It’s not easy to get into emergency housing. Take my case: despite the fact that a social worker at my local MSD office agreed that the danger in my home was too high for me to remain, and paid for my kids and I to move, when it came to emergency housing, a different employee from MSD’s national team decided I did not meet the criteria. I spent three nights in a hospital where medics didn’t want to discharge me because there was nowhere for me to go, and then another night failing to sleep on a hard chair in the emergency department because the hospital was full and that was the best they could provide.
Laying more obligations on people seeking emergency housing and forcing our MSD managers to check on us more frequently won’t help the problem. If there’s one bright light in the system at the moment, it’s the pastoral care offered by the MSD integrated housing managers. I’ve had two, and both have made it clear that they really, really care. They’re already doing a lot; checking on my application with Kainga Ora and fielding calls from support agencies. At a time when the public sector is facing huge cuts, why double their workload by forcing them to check on me every four days?
Thanks DoS, I appreciate the reply and in your case I withdraw the comment about the irony. And I read Spinoff piece you linked to. Parking our political differences, it's unacceptable we have people living in transitional housing, and the "I was made to sing the “If you’re happy and you know it” song and heard the suggestion that homelessness is the result of financial irresponsibility and that a budgeting course would make us irresistible to the private sector." is downright disgusting.
Sounds like National dumping on its own support base, if I read this correctly.
FBT is a hangover from Rogernomics, it has more loopholes than an Instant Finance contract and costs a lot to administer compared to the amount of tax taken. Should have been retired long ago.
It affects me because the government takes a cut of the employer kiwisaver contribution.
I am interested in thoughts from those interested in philosophical debate.
One of the contentious topics in philosophy for a long time is whether we have free will, or whether our decisions are completely determined by external causal factors and internal causal factors. For instance, genetic factors etc we have inherited.
The deterministic argument essentially is that the sum of causal factors means our decisions are completely explained by those causal factors. Under that scenario, if we were able to travel back in time to before a decision is made, our decision would be exactly the same, based on those causal factors.
My argument is that there is room for independent human agency, apart from prior causes, depending on the ambiguity of the situation.
For example, a parent may have the option to either prevent their toddler from running out onto a busy road, or to stand back to see what will happen. In that situation, it is highly likely the parent would make the decision to prevent the child from crossing the road if faced with exactly the same circumstances again. The the deterministic argument would hold true in that situation.
But, where information is ambiguous, it is not so clear cut.
For example, say a person was driving down a road in Germany in the mid-1930s. The are contronted with an intersection where they must choose to go one way or the other. They both lead to the same destination, and there is no information as to which way is the best way to go. So, it is up to the person to decide which direction to take. In that situation, all the causal factors are the same. But, due to the lack of information, the causal factors have no influence on the decision to take. So, confronted with the same situation again, there is no reason to think that the same decision would be made.
They decide to go in one direction. In that direction, they have an accident and kill Hitler. Going the other way, they avoid the action altogether.
In this situation, it seems that the agency of the individual has started a causal chain of events depending on the decision made. That causal chain is independent of the preceding causal chain.
So, my argument is, the more ambiguous the situation, the more likely free will is involved. Where decisions are clear cut, then deterministic causal factors are more likely to explain the actions.
Incidental or scenario choice is one aspect – it is at the micro level of the decision-making.
So, my argument is, the more ambiguous the situation, the more likely free will is involved. Where decisions are clear cut, then deterministic causal factors are more likely to explain the actions.
Where people would make the same decision – again and again and others would decide the same, is not an important part of the free will debate because it is where instinctive behaviour conforms to deterministic causal factors decision-making.
I would look at free will in the context of cognitive psychology as per individual choice which does not conform to the expectation of evolutionary psychology as per group (herd) behaviour. Where individuals choose to be different is an act of free will. Such actions can influence the course of human society.
I tend to agree with you. The problem is that determinists would argue that individuals who choose to be different have causal factors that would explain that. For, instance, they may point to genetic factors where the individual's parents had similar tendencies. Or their parents brought them up to stand up for their own beliefs despite what the crowd may think.
My argument attempted to point out that the more ambiguous a situation becomes, the less effect previous causal factors will have.
At one end of the scale, decisions can be explained completely by causes. For instance, it has been shown that people react to pressing their brakes to avoid a crash before the thought arises in their mind.
But, in completely ambiguous situations, then the independent decision of the individual becomes much more of a factor.
So, I am proposing a continuum where at one end causal factors are a complete explanation, but at the other end independent individual agency is the complete explanation, and that the mix will change depending on the point along the continuum.
We learn to have instinctive reactions to situations (repetition – such as breaking without thinking) but also learn from considered experience, such as no right turn (or one term only).
I would see the upbringing of offspring to become educated and free thinking as a deliberation to impact on the wider society a capacity for progressive change (as nurture to ensure evolutionary possibility for the group over time).
I think it does end up coming down to whether we could have done otherwise. Or else there is always an argument that whatever we do was determined by a countless number of causes, many of which we may not be aware of.
The problem is that it is an experiment that is impossible to do because it would require travelling back in time to the exact situation that was faced back then. That is why the debate will always be at the academic level.
My thought experiment tried to show that it would be possible to do something different, given enough ambiguity in the situation.
Free will ignores the impact of genetics in terms of natural skill and ability, the impact on others and their decisions on your circumstances and luck.
None of us are where we are or where we could be by our choices alone. Being born into the right or wrong family or country, whether the wrong person got annoyed with you or the right person mentored you, whether we had an accident or a near miss, whether you were exposed to violence or poverty as a child – the cult of individualism as a means of success is just so non-sensical – it isn't funny that this gets promoted.
The caste system and the idea of next generation rebirth to a higher status reflects the reality that in some ways full exercise of (or equal) free will has an inter-generational aspect (is constrained by generational disadvantage).
That said providing opportunity (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and having estate taxation (and CGT on wealth privilege) are or can be the ways in which democracy works to allow greater opportunity for exercise of free will (equality) within "society".
Even then though you can't escape genetics – I've rarely heard anyone suggesting someone born with Down's syndrome just has to change their attitude to become successful – society is at times quite accepting of highly visible disability (post institutionalisation more so) having limits on level of achievement – often to their, the person's, detriment.
There's far worse genetic and illness derived heath disorders. And there are plenty that are invisible and not obvious – think dyslexia. So where on the spectrum of variation amongst human beings does it become that magic point of "but you just need to get your shit together, work harder, make more effort". to be successful. What if in fact for a lot of people it just simply cannot ever happen and it isn't them that need to adapt but instead it is society and the rules, and structures we have built that are problematic for them that are the things that need to change.
That includes adverse consequences on the child in the womb of adverse factors (non genetic – such as fetal alcohol etc) and early life trauma experiences (physical and mental), early poverty diseases, accident disability, sexual violence .. mental illness.
It is however important to distinguish between the concept of free will and the concept of a Randian/libertarian individual centred order to society – given equality of opportunity does not exist, It is of our free will to design a better one.
IMO, the whole debate is a bottomless swamp that's best avoided altogether and often a jumping-off point for dodgy political agendas.
I think there's something of a false binary at play. Pre-determination is usually viewed as material in nature and based on prior decisions by other people, our backgrounds and accumulated experience; while free will is seen as a non-material and essential characteristic of all human minds. The false binary is that these two are seen as completely different categories of things, and that therefore one must always be in the ascendant over the other. I would prefer to say that they are both material in nature and that we are all an admixture of both – that bad experience and bad backgrounds can partially extinguish the capacity for free will, while good experiences will enhance it. Both always exist together in tension.
In practice we all believe something like this. As a good leftie, few things infuriate me more than the right's fondness for the "just-world fallacy" – the idea that we all have free will and therefore the rich deserve to be rich and the poor deserve to be poor – which is nothing but a self-serving lie. On the other hand, if I did not believe in the presence of free will I would not be in favour of (say) rehabilitation programmes for criminals that rely on them wanting to change. Nobody in their day to day life is a fundamentalist of either stripe – we might call that "sanity".
Cashmore's paper elicited some debate at the time, and is still being cited:
The place of Free Will: the freedom of the prisoner [23 Oct 2023]
After reviewing the definition of Free Will and the related literature, we conclude that the scientific evidence does not disprove the existence of Free Will. However, our will encounters several constraints and limitations that should be considered when evaluating our deeds’ personal responsibility.
If the question is how much control an individual has over their thoughts and actions, then it's likely most people will tend to believe they are fully in control most if not all of the time, but who knows whether this is the case – certainly not me!
My simplistic assumption is that what we consider free will is largely the outcome of stochastic processes in the brain over which we have little-to-no control, these process (in response to stimuli) dictating thoughts and actions that are largely predictable (the degree of predictability varying over time, and between individuals), but not absolutely so.
For example, travelling at speed and faced with a possum in the headlights, an individual might react in the same way (say) 99 times out of a hundred, but possibly not 999 times out of a thousand. Another individual might react the same way 100 times out of 100, but possibly not one thousand time out of one thousand. A third individual might react in differently each time – difficult to imagine, but not impossible, although such an individual probably wouldn't last too long behind the wheel. It is challenging to conduct such thought experiments in practice, for all but the simplest living systems 'learn', and in humans it might be considered impossible to do a genuine reset after each cycle, and unethical even if it was possible.
Hmm, in hindsight, AB said it best – it’s a rabbit hole. Thanks for the question – that's the next hour's reading sorted
The question could be reframed as "Is the universe deterministic?" and quantum physics say probably not.
ChatGPT sez:
Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
Whether the universe is fundamentally deterministic or not depends on the interpretation of quantum mechanics. There are several interpretations, each with different implications for determinism:
Copenhagen Interpretation: This is the traditional interpretation, which embraces the inherent randomness of quantum mechanics. According to this view, the universe is not deterministic at the quantum level.
Many-Worlds Interpretation: This interpretation suggests that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements actually occur in separate, branching universes. In this view, the universe as a whole is deterministic, but it contains an infinite number of parallel outcomes.
Pilot-Wave Theory (Bohmian Mechanics): This interpretation posits that particles have well-defined positions and momenta, and their behavior is guided by a "pilot wave." This theory is deterministic but non-local, meaning that information can be instantaneously transmitted across distances.
Conclusion
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle shows that at the quantum level, we cannot have complete knowledge of all properties of a system simultaneously, leading to a fundamental indeterminacy in predictions. However, whether this indeterminacy implies that the universe is non-deterministic depends on the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Some interpretations suggest a non-deterministic universe, while others maintain determinism in a more complex or less intuitive form.
Every time someone comments I am in a quantum state of both agreeing and disagreeing and as a result the universe splits in two. According to the multiple worlds hypothesis,
It's good to see the support for structure literacy – IMHO that is our best chance to improve literacy in NZ after decades of decline.
Picking up on the final comments from Gail Gillon, I suspect the initial emphasis will be on changing the dynamic of literacy learning (to SL). Resources will be directly specifically to that. Reading recovery will become part of the overall picture, but in a form that integrates into the SL methodology. There will always be children for whom literacy is a challenge even with the very best practice.
And teaching reading using structured literacy, initially, in the classroom – will mean that fewer kids will need to be referred to programmes like Reading Recovery, at all.
At a time when climate change effects are all accelerating, we have predictions now for the collapse of the Thwaites glacier in Antartica in the next decade or two rather than next century.
Thwaites, which already contributes 4% to global sea level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. But because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise — a catastrophe for the world’s coastal communities.
It is pertinent to look at what is happening to the global effort to bring climate change into the urgent agenda now required and look at what is behind the current efforts to demonise climate change protestors.
It turns out that most of what has been happening with criminalising protest is driven by the Atlas Network.
But before it was a network, it was just one think tank: the U.K.-based Institute of Economic Affairs, or IEA, founded by a man named Antony Fisher..
By this point, his work with the IEA and the Centre for Policy Studies had succeeded in getting Margaret Thatcher elected. Famed “free market” economist Milton Friedman would later say that “the U-turn in British policy executed by Margaret Thatcher owes more to Fisher than any other individual.”
Fisher wanted to connect all the IEA-style organizations he’d started into a network so that they could more easily work with each other, and asked Hayek for introductions to his “friends in Houston”—oil executives—for funding. The Atlas Network, which launched in 1981, initially only included the first dozen or so think tanks Fisher had helped to found himself, but quickly expanded to include hundreds of like-minded member organizations, including all the Koch-affiliated think tanks in the U.S. (The Cato Institute, the Heartland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Legislative Exchange Council—some of the most influential forces shaping U.S. conservative politics—are all members.) …
U.K.-based Atlas member think tank Policy Exchange, meanwhile, put out a report in 2019 describing Extinction Rebellion, an organization famous for shutting down parts of London to call for aggressive climate action, as “an extremist organization seeking the breakdown of liberal democracy and the rule of law.” As happened in Germany, several U.K. politicians and conservative media outlets have since repeated that framing. It wasn’t long before people began cold-cocking Extinction Rebellion activists as they blocked roads or staged other forms of nonviolent, disruptive protest…
…during a speech at Policy Exchange’s annual summer garden party in 2023, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked Policy Exchange members for “helping us draft legislation” that significantly criminalized various forms of protest, increased police power, and created the criminal offense of “willful obstruction of the highway” to curb protests that block roads.
It began in the UK but now has it's tentacles right through the world, as we now know in NZ. It is the propaganda and influencer at arms length from the fossil fuel and mega rich corporations which fund it and as we know here, has bought and paid for national traitors, prepared to sell their citizens down the drain in exchange for power and money.
Well done Willie Jackson on jointly winning the Oxford Union debate. Sounds like a well constructed speech, clever, and with a touch of humour. Wonder how much we will hear about it in the news.
Not such a far-fetched idea, that. As I've already remarked, Hipkins just isn't right in the role of LOTO. Labour needs an Antony, not yet another Brutus.
Yes, good coverage on last night's One News. But oh dearie me, did he really have to recycle that tired old "smell on your breath" trope? Time that was permanently put to rest.
"Devastating"? Our CoC MPs are simply putting 'self' before 'service'.
Those simple-minded meddling experts – there’s still meat on public asset bones
Earlier this week, Bishop said the Government had “significant” concerns about the financial performance and governance of the Government housing agency. Kāinga Ora, the country’s biggest landlord, had assets of $45 billion and over $2.5bn of expenditure each year, owning more than 70,000 homes.
…
Among recommendations [in the independent review of Kāinga Ora by former Prime Minister Bill English] was addressing barriers “in order to increase provision of social housing by CHPs (community housing providers), iwi and Maori, and other providers”, leading to concerns of privatisation by stealth.
… reducing barriers (funding) to community housing providers (some Maori), iwi (all Maori) and Maori (let's guess urban authority).
(to Maori is OK when away fro government delivery).
Then
1.cancelling the role of Kainga Ora in buying places or leasing on the market to let out at income related rent.
2.not funding new Kainga Ora developments and with natural decline from demolishing old housing and then selling land not then being built on by tender to "developers in a flat market".
make it look like a great improvement in KO performance.
Problem less housing, less land for affordable new housing by future governments and a decline in assets held by KO.
The new social housing elsewhere not making up for the decline at KO (including loss of land assets).
It's just a transfer from KO and with no total increase in social housing intended.
Currently, social housing is procured from CHPs on a project-by-project basis. Around 500 new homes of the 1500 will be allocated quickly using the existing pipeline of CHP opportunities and with three objectives in mind: value for money from government investment, contributing towards the government’s target of getting people out of emergency housing motels, and a balanced approach between achievability and building capability in historically underserved regions.”
Once again the $!40M allocated is under $100,000 for each "home".
The Tories promised to get rid of no fault evictions in 2019 and finally brought legislation into parliament in 2023, but it will not pass before the election.
Here the coalition has brought in no fault evictions. Indicating a more pro landlord regime than the Tories of the UK.
"RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is committed to
unlocking development and investment while ensuring the environment is protected."
[Excerpt from media release by Minister Responsible for RMA Reform and two other ministers, 24 May 2024]
So we can have our cake and eat it too? I don't buy that. At most, the government will only make it look as if the environment is being protected.
Mining on stewardship land is just the start. The government is trotting out the usual "jobs or the environment" argument.
Note too the use of the word "unlocking". It implies those nasty greenies have prevented bold entrepreneurs in the business sector from making this country great.
A teenager is stabbed to death in Dunedin 30 metres from a police station.
The police say they have known about trouble in the area for some time but their options to fix it were security men and CTV cameras.
They couldn't even manage a police officer to walk the beat in the area for about an hour 3-4 pm on school days even though he/she would within spitting distance of the station.
Doesn't say much about National's promise to crack down on crime does it?
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 9, 2024 thru Sat, June 15, 2024. Story of the week A glance at this week's inventory of what experts tell us is extreme weather mayhem juiced by ...
After a busy week it’s a good day to relax. Clear blues skies here in Tamaki Makaurau, very peaceful but for my dogs sleeping heavily. In the absence of a full newsletter I thought I’d send out a brief update and share a couple of posts that popped up in ...
Now in the land of Angus beef and the mighty ABsWhere the steaks were juicy and the rivers did run foulIt would often be said,This meal is terrible,andNo, for real this is legit the worst thing I've ever eatenBut this was an thing said only to others at the table,not ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is ocean acidification from human ...
She's not a girl who misses muchDo do do do do do, oh yeahShe's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet handLike a lizard on a window paneI wouldn’t associate ACT with warmth, other than a certain fabled, notoriously hot, destination where surely they’re heading and many would like them ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
What does Budget 2024 tell us about the current government? Muddle on?Coalition governments are not new. About 50 percent of the time since the first MMP election, there has been a minority government, usually with allied parties holding ministerial portfolios outside cabinets. For 10 percent of the time there was ...
Somewhat surprisingly for what is regarded as a network of professionals, climate science misinformation is getting shared on LinkedIn, joining other channels where this is happening. Several of our recent posts published on LinkedIn have attracted the ire of various commenters who apparently are in denial about human-caused climate change. Based ...
1. On what subject is Paul Henry even remotely worth giving the time of day?a. The state of our nationb. The state of the ACT partyc. How to freak out potential buyers of your gin palace by baking the remains of your deceased parent into its fittings2. Now that New ...
Last time National was in power, they looted the state, privatising public assets and signing hugely wasteful public-private partnership (PPP) contracts which saw foreign consortiums provide substandard infrastructure while gouging us for profits. You only have to look at the ongoing fiasco of Transmission Gully to see how it was ...
The Democratic Façade Of Local Government: Our district and city councillors are democratically elected to govern their communities on one very strict condition – that they never, ever, under any circumstances, attempt to do so.A DISINTEGRATION OF LOYALTIES on the Wellington City Council has left Mayor Tory Whanau without a ...
I can feel the lowlights coming over meI can feel the lowlights, from the state I’m inI can see the light now even thought it’s dimA little glow on the horizonAnother week of lowlights from our government, with the odd bright spot and a glow on the horizon. The light ...
Another week, another roundup of things that caught our eye on our favourite topics of transport, housing and how to make cities a little bit greater. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor wrote about Kāinga Ora’s role as an urban development agency Tuesday’s guest post by ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s moves this week to take farming out of the ETS and encourage more mining and oil and ...
In 2019, Shane Jones addressed the “50 Shades of Green” protest at Parliament: Now he is part of a government giving those farmers a pass on becoming part of the ETS, as well as threatening to lock in offshore oil exploration and mining for decades. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the ...
Hi,Today’s newsletter is all about how easy it is to get sucked into “rage bait” online, and how easy it is to get played.But first I wanted to share something that elicited the exact opposite of rage in me — something that made me feel incredibly proud, whilst also making ...
Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology:We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory.There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
Hi,Today the New Zealand press is breathlessly reporting that the owners of toy company Zuru are officially New Zealand’s wealthiest people: Mat and Nick Mowbray worth an estimated $20 billion between them.While the New Zealand press loses its shit celebrating this Kiwi success story, this is a Webworm reminder that ...
TL;DR: The six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty in the past day to 8:36 pm on Monday, June 10 were:20,000 protested against the Fast-track approval bill on Saturday in Auckland, but PM Christopher Luxon says ‘sorry, but not sorry’ about the need for ...
Given the headlines around the recent findings of the ‘independent’ review of Kāinga Ora by Bill English, you might assume this post will be about social housing, Kāinga Ora’s most prominent role. While that is indeed something that requires defending, I want to talk about the other core purpose of ...
“How does it feel to beOne of the beautiful peopleNow that you know who you areWhat do you want to beAnd have you traveled very far?Far as the eye can see”Yesterday the ACT party faithful were regaled with craven boasts, sneers, and demands for even more at their annual rally.That ...
A defiant Resources Minister Shane Jones has responded to Saturday’s environmental protests by ending Labour’s offshore oil exploration ban and calling for long-term contracts with any successful explorers. The purpose would be to prevent a future Labour Government from reversing any licence the explorers might hold. Jones sees a precedent ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 2, 2024 thru Sat, June 8, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is Yale Climate Connection's Resources for debunking common solar and wind myths, by ...
This is where we ate our lunch last Wednesday. Never mind your châteaux and castles and whatnot, we like to enjoy a baguette in the shadow of a nuclear power plant; a station that puts out more than twice as much as Manapouri using nothing more than tiny atoms to bring ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is the ocean acidifying? Acidification of oceans ...
The largest protest I ever went on was in the mid 90s. There were 10,000 people there that day, and I’ve never forgotten it. An enormous mass of people, chanting together. Stretching block after block, bringing traffic to a halt.But I can’t say that’s the biggest protest I’ve ever been ...
Hi there,I wanted to put all of Josh Drummond’s Webworm pieces all in one place. I love that he writes for Webworm — and all of these are a good read!David.Why Are So Many “Christians” Hellbent on Being Horrible?Why do so many objectively hideous people declare themselves “Christian”?Meeting the Master ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: On reflection, the six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty this week were:The Government-driven freeze in building new classrooms, local roads and water networks in order to save cash for tax cuts is frustrating communities facing massive population ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
Hi,One of the things I like the most about Webworm is to be able to break down the media and journalism a little, and go behind the scenes.This is one of those times.Yesterday an email arrived in my inbox from journalist Jonathan Milne, who is managing editor atNewsroom.I don’t ...
Wrote something over at 1/200 on a familiar theme of mine: The way we frame the economy as a separate, sacred force which must be sacrificed to, the way we talk about criminals as invaders who must be repelled, the constant othering of people on the benefit, people not in ...
A nice bit of news today: my 4600-word historical fantasy-horror piece, A Voyage Among the Vandals, has been accepted by Phobica Books (https://www.phobicabooks.co.uk/books) for their upcoming Pirate Horror anthology, Shivering Timbers. This one is set in the Mediterranean, during the mid-fifth century AD. Notable for having one of history’s designated ...
There was no less razzamatazz about the 2024 Budget than about earlier ones. Once again the underlying economic analysis got lost. It deserves more attention.Just to remind you, the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU), is the Treasury’s independent assessment and so can be analysed by other competent economists (although ...
There are two failings that consistently characterise a National government. One is a lack of imagination, the other is their willingness to look after their mates, no matter what harm it might do to everyone else.This is how we come to have thousands of enormous trucks carving up our roads. ...
The Kotahitanga Parliament 1897: A Māori Parliament – at least in the guise of a large and representative body dedicated to describing the shape of New Zealand’s future from a Māori perspective – would be a very good idea.THE DEMAND for a “Māori Parliament” needs to be carefully unpicked. Some Pakeha, ...
Dumbtown, is how my friend Gerard refers to people like ZB listeners - he’s not wrong.Normally on a Friday I start by looking at Mike Hosking’s moronic reckons of the week which he vomits down the throats of his audience like helpless baby birds in a nest, grateful for the ...
Should sick leave be part and parcel of the working conditions from Day One on the job, just like every other health and safety provision? Or should access to sick leave be something that only gradually accumulates, depending on how long a worker has been on the payroll? If enacted ...
“So long as we live in a democracy, economic policy can never be anything other than social-democratic.”“HEH!”, snorted Laurie, as he waved his debit card over the EFTPOS machine. “Same price as last week. I guess budgets aren’t what they used to be.”“I wouldn’t know,” replied the young barman, wearily, ...
Kotahitanga: New Zealand’s future belongs to those who do not fear a nation carved out of unity and solidarity, and are willing to trust the carvers. Some New Zealanders will be required to step up, and others, perhaps for the first time in their lives, will be expected to step ...
Welcome to another Friday roundup! Here are some recent links and stories that caught our eye, perfectly timed for your watercooler discussions and weekend reading. As always feel free to share more in the comments. Our header image this week is by Patrick Reynolds, and shows Te Komititanga from above. ...
As Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, ACT’s Brooke van Velden is fronting proposed changes to sick pay regulations and The Holiday Act. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the ...
Lowering aerosol emissions from shipping has altered clouds, with potentially drastic effects. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:New evidence is increasingly pointing at efforts ...
The best observation I’ve read this week about the deep, profound harm Trump is doingTrump has hurled threats and smears at witnesses, jurors and the judge (including his family)... [he] has tried to intimidate witnesses and delegitimize the New York courts as corrupt. In continuing to incite his mob (that ...
Do do do do do do do doDo do do do do doDi di di di di di di di di di diNature enter me…In 2018 the Labour lead government banned new oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa. A change welcomed by those who care deeply for our environment and ...
The Transport Minister is trying to push through urgent legislation that would allow him to change emissions standards for car imports without approval from Parliament, after only consulting car importers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Just as two major reports showed fossil fuel burning was warming the planet to dangerous levels and ...
The Government’s announcement of a roadshow consultation on work health and safety is a smokescreen for its plan to throw out regulations which keep workers safe. ...
The Government has reportedly scrapped a policy that would have gone far to fix gender and ethnic pay gaps and instead is implementing a watered-down voluntary system. ...
The Government knew its changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of New Zealand children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty, and made the changes anyway, new documents show. ...
Two months have passed since the National Government said it was a question of ”when, not if” New Zealand would recognise Palestine, in response to Labour’s call. ...
Today the coalition government has announced that a select committee inquiry into banking competition will be led by the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.New Zealand First campaigned to take on foreign owned banks, and we committed to that in our coalition agreement by ensuring the inquiry has a broad ...
The National Government is doing everything it can to delay taking action on climate as it announces that years of work on agricultural emissions will start from scratch. ...
Tens of thousands of people showed up to have their voices heard and march against National’s unpopular Fast Track Approvals Bill in Auckland over the weekend. ...
The Government deciding to lift the oil and gas ban in the middle of a climate crisis is a severe step backwards that will have serious consequences for our future. ...
This week the Justice Select Committee has heard numerous submissions on the removal of Māori Wards. “I am feeling invigorated by the powerful oral submissions that I have heard throughout the week.” Said Local Government spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “People from all facets of life: whānau Māori, whānau Pākehā, rangatahi, kaumātua, ...
Today’s March for Nature sends a clear message that our country is deeply against the Fast Track Approvals Bill proceeding because the cost to the environment would be unacceptable. ...
The recent attacks on Te Pāti Māori and its MP’s are part of a continuing narrative of attack on all matters Māori. If we could respond to baseless inuendo we would. If there is any evidence then show us so we have a reason to engage in a conversation. The ...
The Government’s move to pour billions into potholes whilst remaining inactive on climate change does nothing to solve our transport system's core problems. ...
“The Government needs to provide leadership for New Zealand’s mental health sector, which appears to have lost out in the Budget despite the promises Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey made on the campaign trail,” said Labour mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s announcement that would see some workers’ entitlement to sick leave reduce flies in the face of yet another promise National made during the election campaign. ...
Cutting a third of the staff at Ministry for the Environment will undermine years of work to clean up our fresh water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and leave us unprepared for a changing climate. ...
The National Government has shown all their talk about meeting climate targets is just hot air as they cut more than $3 billion in climate-related work, said Labour climate spokesperson Megan Woods. ...
The Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus has labelled this year’s Budget as unambitious for Māori and unapologetic in its disregard for Te Tiriti. ...
The Government’s bloody-minded commitment to delivering trickle-down tax cuts at all costs comes at the expense of investment in people and planet. ...
This year’s Budget reflects the heartlessness of the Coalition Government when it comes to Pasifika, according to the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus. ...
The budget today is a sad state of affairs and the country can now see the result of Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ wrong choices and the Government’s broken promises. ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has repeatedly said she will not be borrowing for tax cuts and denied fiscal irresponsibility. Today, the budget has revealed Nicola Willis has borrowed $12 billion – and her tax cuts cost $10 billion. ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
Introduction Thank you for having me here today and welcome to Wellington, the home of the Hurricanes, the next Super Rugby champions. Infrastructure – the challenge This government has inherited a series of big challenges in infrastructure. I don’t need to tell an audience as smart as this one that ...
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard welcomed outcomes to boost agricultural and food trade between New Zealand and China. A number of documents were signed today at Government House that will improve the business environment between New Zealand and China, and help reduce barriers, including on infant formula ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, today announced the official launch of Negotiations on Services Trade between the two countries. “The Government is focused on opening doors for services exporters to grow the New Zealand’s economy,” Mr McClay says. As part of the 2022 New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Upgrade ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Government House in Wellington today. “I was pleased to welcome Premier Li to Wellington for his first official visit, which marks 10 years since New Zealand and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Luxon says. “The Premier and ...
The coalition Government is taking action to reduce the gender pay gap in New Zealand through the development of a voluntary calculation tool. “Gender pay gaps have impacted women for decades, which is why we need to continue to drive change in New Zealand,” Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston ...
The coalition Government is boosting funding for Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers under pressure, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced today. “A strong and thriving agricultural sector is crucial to the New Zealand economy and one of the ways to support it is to ...
Spending on contractors and consultants continues to fall and the size of the Public Service workforce has started to decrease after years of growth, according to the latest data released today by the Public Service Commission. Workforce data for the quarter from 31 December 23 to 31 March 24 shows ...
Thank you to the Law Association for inviting me to speak this morning. As a former president under its previous name — the Auckland District Law Society — I take particular satisfaction in seeing this organisation, and its members, in such good heart. As Attorney-General, I am grateful for these ...
New Zealand is committed to working closely with Timor-Leste to support its prosperity and resilience, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “This year is the 25th anniversary of New Zealand sending peacekeepers to Timor-Leste, who contributed to the country’s stabilisation and ultimately its independence,” Mr Peters says. “A quarter ...
Promoting robust competition in the banking sector is vital to rebuilding the economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “New Zealanders deserve a banking sector that is as competitive as possible. Banking services play an important role in our communities and in the economy. Kiwis rely on access to lending when ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced a regulatory sector review on the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products. “Red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries. ...
The Coalition Government will reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions by 1 July 2025 through a new Land Transport Rule released for public consultation today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. The draft speed limit rule will deliver on the National-ACT coalition commitment to reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit ...
Minister Paul Goldsmith is making major leadership changes within both his Arts and Media portfolios. “I am delighted to announce Carmel Walsh will be officially stepping into the role of Chair of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, having been acting Chair since April,” Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Carmel is ...
Food and fibre export revenue is tipped to reach $54.6 billion this year and hit a record $66.6b in 2028 as the Government focuses on getting better access to markets and cutting red tape, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones say. “This achievement is testament ...
A new export exemption proposal for food businesses demonstrates the coalition Government’s commitment to reducing regulatory barriers for industry and increasing the value of New Zealand exports, which gets safe New Zealand food to more markets, says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The coalition Government has listened to the concerns ...
New Zealand and Philippines are continuing to elevate our relationship, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The leaders of New Zealand and Philippines agreed in April 2024 to lift our relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership by 2026,” Mr Peters says. “Our visit to Manila this week has been an excellent ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Brooke van Velden says paid parental leave increase from 1 July will put more money in the pockets of Kiwi parents and give them extra support as they take precious time off to bond with their newborns. The increase takes effect from 1 July 2024 ...
The number of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel deployed to the Republic of Korea is increasing, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. NZDF will deploy up to 41 additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United ...
New Zealand will be represented at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine by Minister Mark Mitchell in Switzerland later this week. “New Zealand strongly supports Ukraine’s efforts to build a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Minister Mitchell is a senior Cabinet Minister and ...
Farmers’ hard work is paying off in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) with the move to a national pest management plan marking strong progress in the eradication effort, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The plan, approved by the Coalition Government, was proposed by the programme partners DairyNZ, Beef ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Housing Minister Chris Bishop formally opened a new Build to Rent development in Mt Wellington this morning. “The Prime Minister and I were honoured to cut the ribbon of Resido, New Zealand’s largest Build to Rent development to date. “Build to Rent housing, like the ...
The Government will deliver on its election commitment to take agriculture out of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) and will establish a new Pastoral Sector Group to constructively tackle biogenic methane, Coalition Government Agriculture and Climate Change Ministers say. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand farmers ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Japan from 16-20 June, his first visit as Prime Minister. “Japan is incredibly important to New Zealand's prosperity. It is the world’s fourth largest economy, and our fourth largest export destination. “As you know, growing the economy is my number one priority. A strong economy means ...
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Andrew Bayly, travels to Singapore today to attend scam and fraud prevention meetings. “Scams are a growing international problem, and we are not immune in New Zealand. Organised criminal networks operate across borders, and we need to work with our Asia-Pacific partners to tackle ...
People who were displaced by severe weather events in 2022 and 2023 will be supported by the extension of Temporary Accommodation Assistance through to 30 June 2025. Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says the coalition Government is continuing to help to those who were forced out of their ...
Removing the ban on petroleum exploration beyond onshore Taranaki is part of a suite of proposed amendments to the Crown Minerals Act to deal with the energy security challenges posed by rapidly declining natural gas reserves, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “Natural gas is critical to keeping our lights on ...
New Zealand and Malaysia intend to intensify their long-standing, deep connections, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Malaysia is one of New Zealand’s oldest friends in South-East Asia – and both countries intend to get more out of the relationship," Mr Peters says. "Our connections already run deep and ...
The end of Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) motels in Rotorua is nearing another milestone as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announces it will not renew consents for six of the original 13 motels, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The government is committed to stop using CEH ...
The Government is providing a narrow exemption from the discontinuation of the First Home Grant for first home buyers who may face unfair situations as a result, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The First Home Grant scheme was closed with immediate effect on 22 May 2024, with savings being reprioritised ...
Work to increase flood resilience in Hawke’s Bay can start sooner, thanks to a new fast consenting process, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds say. “Faster consenting means work to build stop banks, spillways and other infrastructure can get underway sooner, increasing flood ...
Tangata tū tangata ora, tangata noho tangata mate. Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka today announced acting Deputy Chief Judge Craig Coxhead as the new Deputy Chief Judge, and Nathan Milner as Judge of the Māori Land Court. "I want to congratulate Judge Coxhead and Mr Milner on their appointments ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners. IPEF’s partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners. IPEF’s partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP ...
Li’s visit to New Zealand was the first by a Chinese premier since 2017. He held talks with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and business leaders, highlighting New Zealand’s heavy dependence on trade with China, which took about 27 percent of ...
Colin Peacock , Mediawatch Presenter Everyone seemed to agree the allegations of census information misused for political purposes were serious - and serious enough for the prime minister to launch an independent inquiry on top of official investigations ...
The heads of NZ and PNG have met to discuss signing a new partnership agreement between the countries, regional issues and more places for horticultural workers in New Zealand. ...
PNG Post-Courier New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will stop over in Port Moresby today for a quick bilateral with Prime Minister James Marape before setting off to Japan. Luxon hosted Chinese Premier Li Qiang in New Zealand this week before flying off to Japan through Port Moresby. Luxon has ...
As season two of The Traitors NZ approaches, we introduce the brave souls about to blag and backstab their way to $100,000. Grab your cloak and get ready to betray your closest friends, because the new season of The Traitors NZ is about to hit our screens. On July 1, ...
The House - Despite Parliament having supremacy, governments often play the boss. This week the tables will turn as ministers face up to backbenchers. ...
Insurance Council New Zealand chief executive Kris Faafoi said the council "especially support the establishment of a fast-track pathway for projects which bolster adaptation, resilience and recovery from natural hazards". ...
Downfall In a secure bunker deep under the Thames The Supreme Leader marshals his final battle plan. He is surrounded by his High Command. On the map, he points at a massed group of flags. “We will counterattack Marshal Von Starmer’s armoured column With an overwhelming show of force here!” ...
Asia Pacific Report New Zealand activists Youssef Sammour and Rana Hamida have been selected to join the volunteer crew on the international Freedom Flotilla ship Handala, currently visiting European ports and heading to break Israel’s siege of Gaza. Youssef Sammour at a recent Auckland rally for Palestine. Image: Kia Ora ...
The new secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Baron Waqa, is “well equipped” for the role, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says. Waqa, a former Nauru president is the first Nauruan national to assume the top job at the Forum. He began his tenure last week and was welcomed during ...
Asia Pacific Report Israel’s targeting of educational institutes across Gaza is “shameful” and contributing to a global crisis for students, says the head of an educational foundation. Talal al-Hathal, director of the Al Fakhoora Programme at Education Above All foundation in Qatar, said: “War has exacerbated the plight of Gaza’s ...
COMMENTARY: By John Hobbs The New Zealand government remains disturbingly quiet on the unfolding genocide in Gaza. New Zealand’s silence is clearly undermining its self-image as a principled and independent state within the United Nations. It is following its Anglosphere English-speaking partners (United States, UK, Canada, and Australia) in avoiding ...
Chris Bishop said on Thursday Simeon Brown had "already signalled that each of our new Roads of National Significance will be tolled". But will they? ...
The extent of WorkSafe's woes, and its deficit - and plans to cut 170 staff to plug it last year - have been revealed in a newly released Cabinet paper. ...
Striking Auckland University students called off their protest against high rent costs last week, but if a proposal from the Budget goes ahead, the price of education in New Zealand will only get worse. In a press release titled ‘Rewarding hard work in tertiary education and training‘, Minister for Tertiary ...
The miniature ladies had been coming to the Villa Soleil on Friday mornings for a year, ever since Mrs Burton suffered the stroke that made it impossible for her to attend the miniature meetings at the other ladies’ houses. On Beth’s first Friday, they alighted in the spacious high-ceilinged front ...
MONDAY First they came for me over claiming a housing allowance that was well within the rules. I tried to speak out – but was told to be silent. And now they have come for another National MP who is claiming a housing allowance which is well within the rules. ...
Businesses and workers around the country now have the opportunity to tell the Government what is, or isn’t, working when it comes to health and safety rules. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden has confirmed consultation is now open for a review of the almost 10-year-old Health and Safety ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was and the urge to win. Mōrena and welcome to The Weekend. Last week I gave a shout out to our award winning journalists on staff and this week it’s all about not being so competitive. In fairness, I don’t consider industry ...
Alex Casey looks back on a year of talking television with local celebrities.It all began with Chris Parker in a jacuzzi. Since, June 2023, Tara Ward and I have been interviewing beloved New Zealand personalities about their TV habits and memories for our My Life in TV series. We’ve ...
Post-punk quartet Ringlets share the songs that would soundtrack their perfect weekend. Picture this: it’s 11am on a Sunday morning, the sun is out, and you’re tending to the garden while listening to ‘New Life’ by Ringlets on repeat. This is the optimal way to enjoy the new single from ...
Amy Brown’s debut novel is a three-part ode to family and art-making interrupted. My Brilliant Sister is a marginalia-worthy literary tryptych – a novel in three parts, with three very distinct point of view characters – that explores creation in all its forms, from childbirth to art and everything in ...
Speed puzzling is like a marathon for the mind – intense, demanding, surprisingly exhausting. But does turning it into a sport destroy it as a relaxing pastime? Watching the highlights of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship makes me want to be sick. Dozens of teams in matching T-shirts swarm around ...
I joined an expedition to South Georgia island, a remote and ecologically vulnerable place, with camera in hand. This is what I saw. In October of 2023, I was one of 22 “Inspiring Explorers” who ventured to remote South Georgia, a sub-antarctic island, as part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s ...
He earned 5c for his first cut in 1955, and $35 for his last in March. Duncan Greive recalls the life of his late barber, “Young” George Dyas, who never stopped snipping. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.‘If you’re reading this you ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French Polynesia has just played host to a 15-nation “Marara” military exercise aimed at increasing “interoperability” between participating armed forces. From May 27 to June 8, the exercise involved about 1000 military from Australia, New Zealand, United States, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Goldfeld, Director, Center for Community Child Health Royal Children’s Hospital; Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne; Theme Director Population Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute It’s well-known that children raised in families experiencing financial stress face greater risks of psychological and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaya Dantas, Deputy Chair, Academic Board; Dean International, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Professor of International Health, Curtin University Aleksandar Malivuk/Shutterstock Earlier this week, Moderna announced positive results for its phase 3 clinical trial of a combined vaccine against COVID and influenza. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Irina Ponomareva, Adjunct Research Fellow in Griffith Center for Social and Cultural Research (GCSCR), Griffith University Irina Ponomareva Investigation of a sacred area at Avon Downs in Jangga Country, Central Queensland, has uncovered evidence of stone tool production in a place ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University Netflix Last night, millions of people will have tuned into Netflix and other streaming services to binge their favourite shows, including the (much anticipated) second part of Bridgerton season three. Streaming services such ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University In Europe, the slogan “never again fascism” is one that still resonates. The death and destruction wrought by hyper-nationalist, authoritarian states in the first half of the 20th century still haunts the nightmares of ...
Analysis - The government gets serious about the alleged misuse of census data, and there are more revelations about MPs paying rent to themselves with taxpayer dollars. ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on Minister Brooke van Velden to ensure that her review of workplace health and safety puts the voices of workers front and centre. ...
An announcement today from the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon Brooke van Velden that she will be starting a substantial consultation on work health and safety, must consider the stalled progress from government and continued absence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Williams, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Griffith University Many a government has spent generously to woo voters in election years. Some might even say recklessly. But, even by that standard, the cash splashed this week by the Queensland Labor government under ...
Ekos is welcoming today’s statement by Forestry Minister Todd McClay on supporting the forest sector and the government’s removal of a service fee on all forests registered in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZETS). ...
Kieran McAnulty says it looks like the government "has no intention" of helping local government after a new announcement about funding for infrastructure . ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is urging the government to rethink corporate welfare for the gaming sector and direct that funding into life-saving medicines instead. ...
Te Urewera Board and Tūhoe are moving ahead with plans to re-imagine the future of Te Urewera as the homeland of Tūhoe and a place that is accessible to all New Zealanders. ...
Child rights organisation Save the Children is calling for political leaders to withdraw the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, saying it fails to uphold children’s rights and the potential negative impact on children now and in the future is too great a risk. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University Installation view of the 2024 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® Pharaoh, a collaboration between the British Museum and the NGV, on display from June 14 – October 6 2024 at NGV International, Melbourne. ...
A poem from Vincent O’Sullivan’s posthumous collection Still Is. The white room It was not so much that I asked to leave the party, as several suggesting I might feel more comfortable, shall we say, elsewhere? They kindly made sure my glass was freshly attended, then took my arm, solicitously, ...
The Initiative pointed to stronger cost-benefit assessment, as well as revisiting the rules around personal liability for health and safety outcomes, as promising starting points for review. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.First, a quick PSA: Unity Books has a flash new website that lets you search and purchase ...
Transporting New Zealand interim CEO Dom Kalasih has welcomed the announcement today by Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Brooke van Velden, that the government is beginning consultation on health and safety at work. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paola A. Magni, Associate Professor of Forensic Science, Murdoch University A runner after five months in the sea as part of a forensics study.Paola A. Magni The disappearance of 49-year-old Melissa Caddick in November 2020 captured Australia’s attention. At the time, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Dooley, Research Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne FiledIMAGE/Shutterstock Australia contains some of the world’s most biologically diverse and carbon-dense native forests. Eucalypts in wet temperate forests are the tallest flowering plants in the ...
Today’s announcements on growing the forestry sector from Forestry Minister Todd McClay will resonate with industry leaders across forestry and wood products sector, says FIEA events director John Stulen. “With our sector delivering the most carbon-friendly ...
How is this show about murder and mayhem such a comforting watch? This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the dark of night, a mysterious figure drags a body through a sea of mud. The next morning, as the local community celebrates ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders global media freedom watchdog has announced that it is deeply saddened by the death of its secretary-general, Christophe Deloire, following a battle with cancer. He was 53. Christophe Deloire, who died last Saturday, had held the post since 2012 and for 12 ...
The government is committing $90 million to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs, Education Erica Stanford has announced. ...
Acting Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott today announced the details of an inquiry into allegations that personal information provided to government agencies was misused by third-party service providers. ...
Climate Forestry Association chief executive Andrew Cushen says the Government has shown a thorough understanding of the importance of the forestry sector. ...
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350288339/govt-accepts-charity-commissioned-report-its-own-worth-face-value-prime-minister
More blurred lines from double dipton.
Nothing to see here….except
Oh and there is this connector to Ol' Double Dipper himself
scumbags.
The left seem really triggered by money going to Gumboot Friday. Is it the charity itself? Or Mike King? Or perhaps, it's own failures:
On Tuesday, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission released its new report for 2022, finding there has been no change in access to specialist mental health services in five years, despite the Government's $1.9 billion cash injection in 2019.
Health Minister Andrew Little defends Government's billion-dollar mental health boost, despite report finding little has changed | Newshub
Maybe they should have given GF more than the $600k in 2022.
Well….you seem pretty triggered yourself there…what triggered you?
Mention of Ol' Double Dipper..double dipping…again?
Cmon, we all know.
Yesterdays story about English makes me so sad (getting funds from the emergency housing fund)when there's people really struggling out there, "cost of living" etc (which doesn't seem to be in the news anymore) & the likes of millionaires like English sponging off the Govt just seems so unfair, he doesn't need to do this, just unempathetic greed pure & simple (& those that troll & use slippery words to justify these policies are just cruel & nasty).
Also I was able to get the First Home Grant & was very thankful for it.
You cant take the Double Dipper out of Blinglish. Its in his DNA…
His DNA made him do it, again, and again, and again; he’s got no free will.
Sad..but true. All those years of Catholic Morality ?,,,counted for sweet FA.
And I am glad for Standardista I Feel Love to have got their chance at a Home.
NZ is going in a very bad direction. I hope we can turn around.
Just business as usual. Nothing to see here.
Maybe we could pay Bill English to report independently on the success of the parenting courses.
THE EMAIL EXCHANGE
MID-MARCH
Bill English’s office emails Treasury to inform it of decision to give $4.8m over four years to Peda.
TREASURY EMAILS THE MINISTRY OF PACIFIC ISLAND AFFAIRS
“We don’t know a great deal more about this initiative…presume someone in [Pacific Island Affairs] must know about it?”
MINISTRY REPLIES
“The information we have over here on this is very sketchy. Are you able to send us or point us in the direction of the Cabinet papers so we can proceed?”
TREASURY ANSWERS
“We are even more in the dark on this one – there are no Cabinet papers or anything else…Maybe worth asking your minister’s office.”
MARCH 25
Ministry advice on Peda says it is untested, unproven, does not work well with others and is proposing programmes that would overlap with existing ones.
https://thestandard.org.nz/inquiry-needed-into-english-peda-scandal/
In last year’s budget, the Nats awarded a $4.8m contract to an unknown organisation called PEDA without tender and against official advice. The people behind PEDA were apparently tied to Bill English via his wife. The full truth still hasn’t come out. Now, the Nats are up to the same trick with Parents Inc.
Paula Bennett’s Ministry of Social Development will pay $2.4 million to Parents Inc for “parenting courses for the caregivers of vulnerable children”. This contract was untendered and previously unknown.
https://thestandard.org.nz/parents-inc-its-peda-redux/
For those who wondered how… and what the Nats were planning? They're building..stables?! Will there be enough money left for fresh hay every day ?…. ( fyi for those lacking in a satirical sense…it maybe is )
You do realise the weirdness of mocking a journalists typo when we have, by one measure at least, "one of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world"?
NZ among world’s worst developed countries for homelessness as Chris Bishop says action on Bill English report ‘very soon’ (msn.com)
Was it a typo though? Presumably the quote is accurate, and "stable" refers to having access to warm, dry housing for a decent period.
Good point!
Yeah…Good point ! Not so good for the Tenants though..
NAct scumbags.
“told RNZ's Midday Report current regulations were there to stop bad landlords behaving badly.”
The new regulations make it possible to stop bad tenants behaving badly. All fixed.
So you know its just a typo? uhuh. I realise most of you right wing trolls are humourless….why I put…. satirical !
Maybe you should address why Ol' Double Dipper English has any involvement or credo when he was quite involved in the selling off of same.
Oh yeah, Ol' Bill again back in the day…
Oh yea..the real manufacturing…mostly a dodgy means to empty NZ State Housing.
Thanks to Drowsy, I now see it could have meant "having access to warm, dry housing for a decent period" (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24-05-2024/#comment-2000792), in which case it's great!
But have you thought about the irony in your criticism of Bill English, given the last government left "one of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world"?
Given that plenty of us criticised the last government for being confusing and moving too slow (while still giving them credit for the good job they did in building some more housing and actually allowing people to get on the waitlist to better see the size of the unmet need problem) I don't see any irony at all.
Bill English was instrumental in kicking people off the housing waiting lists and National are making it harder to get on already.
They did the same thing last time with health as well.
You really don’t need to make it harder for us, Minister, with your new verification processes and eligibility checks. It’s not easy to get into emergency housing. Take my case: despite the fact that a social worker at my local MSD office agreed that the danger in my home was too high for me to remain, and paid for my kids and I to move, when it came to emergency housing, a different employee from MSD’s national team decided I did not meet the criteria. I spent three nights in a hospital where medics didn’t want to discharge me because there was nowhere for me to go, and then another night failing to sleep on a hard chair in the emergency department because the hospital was full and that was the best they could provide.
Laying more obligations on people seeking emergency housing and forcing our MSD managers to check on us more frequently won’t help the problem. If there’s one bright light in the system at the moment, it’s the pastoral care offered by the MSD integrated housing managers. I’ve had two, and both have made it clear that they really, really care. They’re already doing a lot; checking on my application with Kainga Ora and fielding calls from support agencies. At a time when the public sector is facing huge cuts, why double their workload by forcing them to check on me every four days?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/22-04-2024/theres-no-need-to-make-emergency-housing-harder-its-hard-enough-already
Thanks DoS, I appreciate the reply and in your case I withdraw the comment about the irony. And I read Spinoff piece you linked to. Parking our political differences, it's unacceptable we have people living in transitional housing, and the "I was made to sing the “If you’re happy and you know it” song and heard the suggestion that homelessness is the result of financial irresponsibility and that a budgeting course would make us irresistible to the private sector." is downright disgusting.
Just in: Stupid tax for coalition voters set at modest 100 million.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/24/government-looks-to-scrap-tax-incentive-for-utes/
Sounds like National dumping on its own support base, if I read this correctly.
FBT is a hangover from Rogernomics, it has more loopholes than an Instant Finance contract and costs a lot to administer compared to the amount of tax taken. Should have been retired long ago.
It affects me because the government takes a cut of the employer kiwisaver contribution.
Greedy b….s
Add that to the nat supporting tesla owners etc who got simeon'd ….bet they never saw that coming.
They're in power now so unless you have a dead rat they swallowed be prepared for more.
I am interested in thoughts from those interested in philosophical debate.
One of the contentious topics in philosophy for a long time is whether we have free will, or whether our decisions are completely determined by external causal factors and internal causal factors. For instance, genetic factors etc we have inherited.
The deterministic argument essentially is that the sum of causal factors means our decisions are completely explained by those causal factors. Under that scenario, if we were able to travel back in time to before a decision is made, our decision would be exactly the same, based on those causal factors.
My argument is that there is room for independent human agency, apart from prior causes, depending on the ambiguity of the situation.
For example, a parent may have the option to either prevent their toddler from running out onto a busy road, or to stand back to see what will happen. In that situation, it is highly likely the parent would make the decision to prevent the child from crossing the road if faced with exactly the same circumstances again. The the deterministic argument would hold true in that situation.
But, where information is ambiguous, it is not so clear cut.
For example, say a person was driving down a road in Germany in the mid-1930s. The are contronted with an intersection where they must choose to go one way or the other. They both lead to the same destination, and there is no information as to which way is the best way to go. So, it is up to the person to decide which direction to take. In that situation, all the causal factors are the same. But, due to the lack of information, the causal factors have no influence on the decision to take. So, confronted with the same situation again, there is no reason to think that the same decision would be made.
They decide to go in one direction. In that direction, they have an accident and kill Hitler. Going the other way, they avoid the action altogether.
In this situation, it seems that the agency of the individual has started a causal chain of events depending on the decision made. That causal chain is independent of the preceding causal chain.
So, my argument is, the more ambiguous the situation, the more likely free will is involved. Where decisions are clear cut, then deterministic causal factors are more likely to explain the actions.
Incidental or scenario choice is one aspect – it is at the micro level of the decision-making.
Where people would make the same decision – again and again and others would decide the same, is not an important part of the free will debate because it is where instinctive behaviour conforms to deterministic causal factors decision-making.
I would look at free will in the context of cognitive psychology as per individual choice which does not conform to the expectation of evolutionary psychology as per group (herd) behaviour. Where individuals choose to be different is an act of free will. Such actions can influence the course of human society.
I tend to agree with you. The problem is that determinists would argue that individuals who choose to be different have causal factors that would explain that. For, instance, they may point to genetic factors where the individual's parents had similar tendencies. Or their parents brought them up to stand up for their own beliefs despite what the crowd may think.
My argument attempted to point out that the more ambiguous a situation becomes, the less effect previous causal factors will have.
At one end of the scale, decisions can be explained completely by causes. For instance, it has been shown that people react to pressing their brakes to avoid a crash before the thought arises in their mind.
But, in completely ambiguous situations, then the independent decision of the individual becomes much more of a factor.
So, I am proposing a continuum where at one end causal factors are a complete explanation, but at the other end independent individual agency is the complete explanation, and that the mix will change depending on the point along the continuum.
We learn to have instinctive reactions to situations (repetition – such as breaking without thinking) but also learn from considered experience, such as no right turn (or one term only).
I would see the upbringing of offspring to become educated and free thinking as a deliberation to impact on the wider society a capacity for progressive change (as nurture to ensure evolutionary possibility for the group over time).
I think it does end up coming down to whether we could have done otherwise. Or else there is always an argument that whatever we do was determined by a countless number of causes, many of which we may not be aware of.
The problem is that it is an experiment that is impossible to do because it would require travelling back in time to the exact situation that was faced back then. That is why the debate will always be at the academic level.
My thought experiment tried to show that it would be possible to do something different, given enough ambiguity in the situation.
Free will ignores the impact of genetics in terms of natural skill and ability, the impact on others and their decisions on your circumstances and luck.
None of us are where we are or where we could be by our choices alone. Being born into the right or wrong family or country, whether the wrong person got annoyed with you or the right person mentored you, whether we had an accident or a near miss, whether you were exposed to violence or poverty as a child – the cult of individualism as a means of success is just so non-sensical – it isn't funny that this gets promoted.
The caste system and the idea of next generation rebirth to a higher status reflects the reality that in some ways full exercise of (or equal) free will has an inter-generational aspect (is constrained by generational disadvantage).
That said providing opportunity (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and having estate taxation (and CGT on wealth privilege) are or can be the ways in which democracy works to allow greater opportunity for exercise of free will (equality) within "society".
Even then though you can't escape genetics – I've rarely heard anyone suggesting someone born with Down's syndrome just has to change their attitude to become successful – society is at times quite accepting of highly visible disability (post institutionalisation more so) having limits on level of achievement – often to their, the person's, detriment.
There's far worse genetic and illness derived heath disorders. And there are plenty that are invisible and not obvious – think dyslexia. So where on the spectrum of variation amongst human beings does it become that magic point of "but you just need to get your shit together, work harder, make more effort". to be successful. What if in fact for a lot of people it just simply cannot ever happen and it isn't them that need to adapt but instead it is society and the rules, and structures we have built that are problematic for them that are the things that need to change.
https://listverse.com/2019/12/03/10-of-the-most-successful-people-with-down-syndrome/
That includes adverse consequences on the child in the womb of adverse factors (non genetic – such as fetal alcohol etc) and early life trauma experiences (physical and mental), early poverty diseases, accident disability, sexual violence .. mental illness.
It is however important to distinguish between the concept of free will and the concept of a Randian/libertarian individual centred order to society – given equality of opportunity does not exist, It is of our free will to design a better one.
Propose it as a post.
IMO, the whole debate is a bottomless swamp that's best avoided altogether and often a jumping-off point for dodgy political agendas.
I think there's something of a false binary at play. Pre-determination is usually viewed as material in nature and based on prior decisions by other people, our backgrounds and accumulated experience; while free will is seen as a non-material and essential characteristic of all human minds. The false binary is that these two are seen as completely different categories of things, and that therefore one must always be in the ascendant over the other. I would prefer to say that they are both material in nature and that we are all an admixture of both – that bad experience and bad backgrounds can partially extinguish the capacity for free will, while good experiences will enhance it. Both always exist together in tension.
In practice we all believe something like this. As a good leftie, few things infuriate me more than the right's fondness for the "just-world fallacy" – the idea that we all have free will and therefore the rich deserve to be rich and the poor deserve to be poor – which is nothing but a self-serving lie. On the other hand, if I did not believe in the presence of free will I would not be in favour of (say) rehabilitation programmes for criminals that rely on them wanting to change. Nobody in their day to day life is a fundamentalist of either stripe – we might call that "sanity".
Kiwi Anthony Cashmore has some interesting ideas about free will, and published on the topic in PNAS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Cashmore#Human_behavior,_free_will_and_consciousness
Cashmore's paper elicited some debate at the time, and is still being cited:
If the question is how much control an individual has over their thoughts and actions, then it's likely most people will tend to believe they are fully in control most if not all of the time, but who knows whether this is the case – certainly not me!
My simplistic assumption is that what we consider free will is largely the outcome of stochastic processes in the brain over which we have little-to-no control, these process (in response to stimuli) dictating thoughts and actions that are largely predictable (the degree of predictability varying over time, and between individuals), but not absolutely so.
For example, travelling at speed and faced with a possum in the headlights, an individual might react in the same way (say) 99 times out of a hundred, but possibly not 999 times out of a thousand. Another individual might react the same way 100 times out of 100, but possibly not one thousand time out of one thousand. A third individual might react in differently each time – difficult to imagine, but not impossible, although such an individual probably wouldn't last too long behind the wheel. It is challenging to conduct such thought experiments in practice, for all but the simplest living systems 'learn', and in humans it might be considered impossible to do a genuine reset after each cycle, and unethical even if it was possible.
Hmm, in hindsight, AB said it best – it’s a rabbit hole. Thanks for the question – that's the next hour's reading sorted![smiley smiley](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png)
The question could be reframed as "Is the universe deterministic?" and quantum physics say probably not.
ChatGPT sez:
Or not yet … as it has yet to conclude – in flux and all that.
Every time someone comments I am in a quantum state of both agreeing and disagreeing and as a result the universe splits in two. According to the multiple worlds hypothesis,
Free will in this case couldn't be distinguished from randomness?
"the more ambiguous the situation, the more likely free will is involved."
i.e. "the more ambiguous the situation, the more likely
free willRandomness is involved." ?The existence of free will isn't clear, but the existence of randomness certainly is!
The case for restoration of reading recovery in 2026 if not earlier is made.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/05/children-using-updated-reading-recovery-make-double-normal-progress-research.html
Thanks, that's an interesting piece.
It's good to see the support for structure literacy – IMHO that is our best chance to improve literacy in NZ after decades of decline.
Picking up on the final comments from Gail Gillon, I suspect the initial emphasis will be on changing the dynamic of literacy learning (to SL). Resources will be directly specifically to that. Reading recovery will become part of the overall picture, but in a form that integrates into the SL methodology. There will always be children for whom literacy is a challenge even with the very best practice.
And teaching reading using structured literacy, initially, in the classroom – will mean that fewer kids will need to be referred to programmes like Reading Recovery, at all.
At a time when climate change effects are all accelerating, we have predictions now for the collapse of the Thwaites glacier in Antartica in the next decade or two rather than next century.
Thwaites, which already contributes 4% to global sea level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. But because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise — a catastrophe for the world’s coastal communities.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/05/collapse-of-the-thwaites-glacier-has-accelerated.html
It is pertinent to look at what is happening to the global effort to bring climate change into the urgent agenda now required and look at what is behind the current efforts to demonise climate change protestors.
It turns out that most of what has been happening with criminalising protest is driven by the Atlas Network.
It began in the UK but now has it's tentacles right through the world, as we now know in NZ. It is the propaganda and influencer at arms length from the fossil fuel and mega rich corporations which fund it and as we know here, has bought and paid for national traitors, prepared to sell their citizens down the drain in exchange for power and money.
https://newrepublic.com/article/175488/meet-shadowy-global-network-vilifying-climate-protesters
Well done Willie Jackson on jointly winning the Oxford Union debate. Sounds like a well constructed speech, clever, and with a touch of humour. Wonder how much we will hear about it in the news.
Well done Willie indeed.
Willie Jackson's success has been covered by the media. A great achievement.
Apparently it was a job interview.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/could-willie-jackson-be-the-populist-leader-labour-needs-bryce-edwards-political-roundup/7MAMBG4AC5GZ7HWIX3NTCUEYF4/
Not such a far-fetched idea, that. As I've already remarked, Hipkins just isn't right in the role of LOTO. Labour needs an Antony, not yet another Brutus.
How about we skip Antony, and go directly to Octavian.
Both Hipkins and Jackson have far too much political baggage.
Yes, good coverage on last night's One News. But oh dearie me, did he really have to recycle that tired old "smell on your breath" trope? Time that was permanently put to rest.
"Devastating"? Our CoC MPs are simply putting 'self' before 'service'.![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)
Those simple-minded meddling experts – there’s still meat on public asset bones
… reducing barriers (funding) to community housing providers (some Maori), iwi (all Maori) and Maori (let's guess urban authority).
(to Maori is OK when away fro government delivery).
Then
1.cancelling the role of Kainga Ora in buying places or leasing on the market to let out at income related rent.
2.not funding new Kainga Ora developments and with natural decline from demolishing old housing and then selling land not then being built on by tender to "developers in a flat market".
make it look like a great improvement in KO performance.
Problem less housing, less land for affordable new housing by future governments and a decline in assets held by KO.
The new social housing elsewhere not making up for the decline at KO (including loss of land assets).
It's just a transfer from KO and with no total increase in social housing intended.
Once again the $!40M allocated is under $100,000 for each "home".
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350282580/nz-politics-live-housing-minister-chris-bishop-outlines-how-1500-new-social
The Tories promised to get rid of no fault evictions in 2019 and finally brought legislation into parliament in 2023, but it will not pass before the election.
Here the coalition has brought in no fault evictions. Indicating a more pro landlord regime than the Tories of the UK.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11ej9n5edo
A year longer in Belmarsh.
https://open.substack.com/pub/chrishedges/p/the-slow-motion-execution-of-julian-986?r=1s0xfs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
"RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is committed to
unlocking development and investment while ensuring the environment is protected."
[Excerpt from media release by Minister Responsible for RMA Reform and two other ministers, 24 May 2024]
So we can have our cake and eat it too? I don't buy that. At most, the government will only make it look as if the environment is being protected.
Mining on stewardship land is just the start. The government is trotting out the usual "jobs or the environment" argument.
Note too the use of the word "unlocking". It implies those nasty greenies have prevented bold entrepreneurs in the business sector from making this country great.
A teenager is stabbed to death in Dunedin 30 metres from a police station.
The police say they have known about trouble in the area for some time but their options to fix it were security men and CTV cameras.
They couldn't even manage a police officer to walk the beat in the area for about an hour 3-4 pm on school days even though he/she would within spitting distance of the station.
Doesn't say much about National's promise to crack down on crime does it?